Elementary school principal files for Dave Miner’s seat on Manatee County School Board

A second candidate has filed to run for District 3 on the School Board of Manatee County, a position currently held by Dave Miner.

Scott Boyes, the principal at Jessie P. Miller Elementary School, filed on Tuesday afternoon. On the same day, the school board approved his retirement, effective March 1, according to meeting documents.

Miner had yet to file for re-election on Wednesday afternoon, and he could not be reached for comment.

The school board’s primary election is Aug. 18. If no candidate wins a majority of the vote, there will be a runoff on Nov. 3.

Boyes joined Miller Elementary, 601 43rd St. W. in Bradenton, about five years ago. He previously worked as the principal at Palma Sola Elementary School for four years, and as the principal of Samoset Elementary School for eight years.

“I’ve been in this business for a long time, and I’ve loved every minute of it,” he said on Wednesday evening.

Along with operating his own bill paying service, Boyes said he previously worked as a financial planner for more than a decade. He then moved to Bradenton with his family in 1988, enrolling several children at Miller Elementary, becoming chair of the School Advisory Council and catching a passion for education.

He soon went back to college and earned the credentials to become a teacher, which he did for more than seven years. He worked at Blackburn Elementary School as an ESE teacher, and at Bayshore Elementary School as a teacher for several different grade levels.

Boyes holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of South Florida, and a master’s degree in education leadership from Nova Southeastern University, according to his bio.

As an educator, Boyes said he gained a personal understanding of the needs and concerns that teachers face. He learned how to address those requirements as an assistant principal at Palma Sola Elementary and Oneco Elementary School.

In his role as principal, he was expected to increase student achievement and to manage a large budget. Boyes said he learned how to better his staff and how to collaborate with the district superintendent.

“I think it’s also important to have someone from the principal’s side or administrator’s side,” he said of the school board. “ Seventeen years just as principal — that has given me a lot of experience.”

The county is growing, and the school district is growing along with it, Boyes said. He touched on the importance of construction, responsible spending, the hiring of qualified employees and the need for professional development among teachers, but more than anything, he focused on communication.

Boyes said he wanted to help ease the tension between community members and the school board. Public comments are often fueled by anger or frustration, and Boyes felt the cause, in large part, was a breakdown in communication.

“Over the years I’ve learned that good communication with parents, when you put them into your own shoes, it really helps them understand what’s going on,” he said.

The first candidate to file for Miner’s seat was Shaun Lehoe, a self-described activist. Lehoe said he worked as a “ride and show attendant” at Universal Orlando before he became a cost control analyst for the park.

Lehoe said he also worked as a loss control manager for Walmart, as the store manager for a check cashing store, and as the communications director for the Manatee County Democratic Party.

Lehoe said he was motivated by a series of controversies in the district, including a Florida Department of Education investigation into Superintendent Cynthia Saunders, and the district takeover of Lincoln Memorial Academy, which Lehoe felt was unjust.

This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 1:43 PM.